Anyone who’s visited my blog recently was greeted by a round-up of the best vegan Easter treats. Sorry, that really isn’t at all what you guys want to see in July. Melting bunnies anyone?

Okay, let me make it up to you with some mouthwatering photos and recipes… it’s been a busy time in so many good ways. From National Vegetarian Week to extending my column for Vegetarian Living, more tasty dishes for Viva!, a campaign for Plamil…

Let’s start with the fabulous National Vegetarian Week and some of my favourite photos from this year’s campaign. I’m including links for each recipe – all three of these below are outstanding!

This Artichoke and Asparagus Paella from the Vegetarian Society has become a firm favourite in our house already. It’s great for entertaining – easy to make, very tasty and it looks very special too.A Lemon and Lime Dal with quite a zing. I adjust the amount of lemon juice to taste, depending on how I feel that day 😉

And how about this Thai Mushroom Soup with Crispy Wontons? The wonton filling of shiitake mushrooms with smoked tofu, ginger and chilli is mouthwateringly good. Sounds far too simple to create such a great flavour. I’d definitely recommend the Taifun smoked tofu with sesame and almond (e.g. from Waitrose or health food shops).

If you’re super organised and already thinking ahead for next year’s Vegetarian Week please remember that the Vegetarian Society is able to offer small grants to stage events. They very kindly sponsored our Big Veggie Picnic and the food, colouring-in competition and games were a great success with everyone!********

Part-way through the week I received an email about a special feature:
I mean Hello! magazine!! To see these vegan feasts go mainstream really got me excited. There was a three page feature all about NVW and it will have reached thousands of people that week that may have never thought about trying a vegan meal before in their life. I read that their current print circulation number is just under 270,000. Wow! I will confess to going out and buying my first ever copy 😉

I’m going to update the blog with more news in the next few days. It certainly feels good to show some blog presence again.
Lots of love,
Chava

Every home needs a good nut roast recipe and here is my absolute favourite. The cute ‘cupcake’ shape and delicious rich flavours make this recipe irresistible.

I know nut roast is such a vegan cliché but once you’ve tried a really good one you can understand why! Over the years, I’ve experimented a lot with different nut roast combinations to get the perfect mix… this version is deliciously moist and full of flavour. Kids just love the savoury cupcake shapes and the whacky ‘BBQ icing’… I first came across the glaze idea on Angela Liddon’s website. It makes a nice change but the roast is really, really good with a rich red wine and onion gravy as well.

The Ultimate Nut roast

Slices beautifully when cold for a picnic and any leftovers make a delicious sandwich filling. 1 onion, finely chopped vegetable oil 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1/2 vegetable stock cube 1 tsp each of dried rosemary, marjoram and mixed herbs 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes 75g rolled oats 50g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs 200g mixed ground nuts (e.g. walnuts, brazilnuts and hazelnuts) Glaze (optional) 3 tbsp tomato ketchup 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp agave nectar 2 tbsp pureed stewed apple Slowly sauté the chopped onion in vegetable oil until translucent. Add the crushed garlic, stock cube, 1 tsp each of dried rosemary, marjoram and mixed herbs. Pour in a tin of chopped tomatoes and stir well. Now, add the oats, breadcrumbs and mixed ground nuts. Season to taste and spoon the roast mixture into a lined loaf tin or into small non-stick cupcake cases (about 15). To make the topping, combine the ketchup, balsamic vinegar, agave nectar and pureed stewed apple. Organic apple fruit pots for kids (e.g. Hipp or Organix) are a great cupboard staple for this recipes. Spoon the mixture over the nutroast and bake at 180˚C for 40-45 minutes (25 minutes for mini roasts). Tip: I’ve noticed that nut roast slices particularly well once it has cooled down. If I really care about the appearance of my sliced roast I will bake it the day before and then just warm it up in the oven before serving. Can’t wait to share this recipe at Fiesta Friday and the VVLP. This recipe was first published in Vegetarian Living Magazine (August 2014)

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I'm a vegan food photographer and cookery writer - my passion and my job for over 11 years now! I'd love to share my experience and knowledge to make this world a happier, more compassionate and kinder place for us all.